Instructor: Dr. Sandra Mcclain, Instructor of Music/Artist in Residence

Diction for Singers II: German

MUS3232- Spring 2016, Credits: 1

Instructor: Dr. Sandra McClain, Instructor of Music/Artist in Residence

, 561-297-4065, AL226, Office Hours Tues. 9-10, Wed. 1-2 or by appointment

Pre-Requisites: MUS 2201 with a grade of “C” or higher

Course Description: A vocal music course consisting of in-depth study of Germanlyric diction.

Course Objectives:To gain more in-depth knowledge of the correct sounds of all vowels and consonants in the German language, familiarity with usage rules, andenhanced use of the basic principles of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to transcribe texts in IPA from the German song literature in order to facilitate proper lyric diction.

At the completion of the course students will have:

• a thorough and practical knowledge of IPA, as well as the classifications of speech sounds, and their effect on the development of the singing tone and the artistic performance of vocal literature in German
• a comprehensive and operational knowledge of the rules that regulate singing in German with an awareness of accurate articulation and the ability to write, read, and pronounce IPA transcriptions of words in the languages studied.

• competence in identifying and correcting poor diction in the singing of German repertoire, through the participation in, as well as the observation of, in-class performances of German Lied.

Required resources*:

1. Adams, David, A Handbook of Diction for Singers: Italian, German, French, 2nd edition, New York,

New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

2. Montgomery, Cheri, German Lyric DictionWorkbook, Nashville, Tennessee: S.T.M. Publishers,

2006.

3. German-English Dictionary by Langenscheidt. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2009; ISBN-13: 9781439141663; ISBN: 1439141665; Edition Number: 2

4. Lieder Anthology (Publisher: Hal Leonard; High Voice: ISBN-10: 0634060074) or Low (ISBN-10: 0634060309; ISBN-13: 978-0634060304) Please consult voice teacher for voice type)

5. Access to Blackboard for listening assignments, journal entries and all course information.

Additional resources (used for Diction I):

1. Wall, Joan, ed. Diction for Singers: A Concise Reference for English, Italian, Latin, German, French and Spanish Pronunciation, 1st ed. Caldwell Publishing Co., 1990. ISBN-13: 9781877761515

2. Wall, Joan, International Phonetic Alphabet for Singers: A Manual for English and Foreign Language Diction.

Caldwell Publishing Co., 1989 ISBN-13: 978-1877761508

Additional online resources will be posted on the course Blackboard website.

Course Requirements:*Students must purchase all required materials at the beginning of the term as they are essential to the coursework both in and out of class. Written and oral assignments will be made for each class meeting and are to be completed in order to reinforce the previous class work or prepare students for the new information. The different types of work required are outlined below under grading methods.

Assignments:

1. Oral and written work will be assigned from the Adams and Montgomery texts.

2. Each student will be required to prepare a minimum of fourGerman songs/arias with translations, IPA, and knowledge of the accompaniment and musical line. At least 3 of the songs must be intoned and performed in class with accompaniment in order to receive coaching from the instructor. From the four songs, one will be chosen to be performed on a final exam performance. A repertoire plan will be submitted by the end of the second week of classes. Students are encouraged to include all songs in German from the applied lessons and are to construct the remainder of the listof songs to study in conjunction with their applied instructor, whose signature will be required on the form.A form will be posted on Blackboard on which the plan will be submitted.

3. Coaching Journals: Some classes will be open coaching sessions and students are expected to have anthologies in the class for those pieces other students are coaching.

Each student will keep a coaching journal for their own repertoire and for class notes from repertoire on which classmates are coaching in the classroom. This journal will be turned in as part of the final exam material.

4. Listening lists will be posted on Blackboard. A short review of the posted listening excerpts (comparison of execution of diction in performance a same song by two different performers) will be due online in your Blackboard Journal on Friday of each week by 5 PM. Format for listening log will be posted on BB.

Grading Methods: The grade will be an average of the grades from the following items:

1. IPA transcriptions, translations of songs, and assignments from text and workbook, listening journals 45%
2. Written tests on usage rules and IPA25%

1. Grades on in-class coaching of repertoire (includes IPA, translation preparation and readiness to respond to coaching; rubric to be provided on BB) 15%
2. Final exam: performance and written sections; Coaching journal15%

Additional grading policies:

Make up/ Late Work: Assignments are expected to be completed by deadlines in syllabus. There will be no makeup work. Late work will not receive a grade higher than 89% and will not be accepted more than one week past the due date except in cases of documented illness or emergency. Tests and examinations must be taken on the assigned date. Only in extreme cases of documented illness or emergency will a student qualify for consideration for makeup tests.

Attendance:

3 unexcused absences will be allowed without penalty; however, late work resulting from an absence must follow the policy outlined above. In the case of documented illness, work will not be subject to the 89% restriction.

Every unexcused absence after the 3rdwill result in one point deducted from the final average for the semester. Because of the aural and oral nature of this class, attendance is essential. The daily quiz points will ultimately reflect attendance. Class participation (being prepared when called on in class to answer questions, etc.) is also expected, although it will not receive a separate grade. Being unprepared in class, however, will inevitably affect the extent to which the skills are learned and thus automatically be reflected in the final grade.

Grading Scale (minimum thresholds): A=93%=; A-=90%; B+=87%; *B=83%; B-=80%, C+=77%,

C= 73%, C-=70%, D+=67%, D=63%, D-=60%, below 60%=F.

Course Schedule:

Diction for Singers II: German

(Assignments posted under each class are due at the NEXT class. Dates and Assignments subject to modification during semester as needed.)

Final Exam date: TBA-Listed on FAU registrar’s site.

Plagiarism Detection: The FAU policies for academic dishonesty and statutes of the FAU Honor code will be observed. Representing another student’s work as one’s own, whether on tests or homework assignments, constitutes cheating, unless made clear by the instructor that work may be done jointly with other students.

Classroom etiquette:

• Students are expected to refrain from the use of handheld Internet or texting devices during class and may only use computers to aid in note taking. Should a student be found in violation of this etiquette, they will be asked to leave class and take the absence.
• Cell phones should be turned off.
• Food is not allowed in the classroom. Water is permitted.
• Out of courtesy to other students and to the professor, students are asked to arrive in a timely manner and remain for the entire class.

Religious Holiday Accommodation: The FAU policy of religious accommodation will be followed. Students who need such accommodation for a holiday that falls on a class day should make the request in writing in advance of the date.

Incomplete Policy: A grade of Incomplete will be assigned rarely and only in the case of extreme emergency or illness in accordance with the University policies.

Course Communication: All electronic communication must originate from a valid FAU email address. Course instructions and all materials will be posted on the course Blackboard website. Students are expected to check the site regularly between classes for instructions or other information. Not checking Blackboard does not excuse students from required work or knowledge of announcements that have been posted.

Students with Disabilities: Disability policy statement: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), students who require reasonable accommodations due to a disability to properly execute coursework must register with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) -- in Boca Raton, SU 133 (561-297-3880); in Davie, LA 240 (954-236-1222); in Jupiter, SR 110 (561-799-8010); or at the Treasure

Coast, CO 117 (772-873-3441) – and follow all OSD procedures.

Code of Academic Integrity: Students at Florida Atlantic University are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. Academic dishonesty is considered a serious breach of these ethical standards, because it interferes with the university mission to provide a high quality education in which no student enjoys an unfair advantage over any other. Academic dishonesty is also destructive of the university community, which is grounded in a system of mutual trust and places high value on personal integrity and individual responsibility. Harsh penalties are associated with academic dishonesty. For more information, see

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